Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: How can I keep my Android tablet from turning the screen off while I’m reading?

Posted on September 12, 2017

Question from Joey: Hi Rick. I have a problem that I need your help with.

I use an el-cheapo Android tablet that I bought at a closeout store to read a couple of news websites every morning. It does the job just fine, but the screen keeps turning off on me before I can finish reading a long article.

I have the screen timeout set to the maximum setting, but the screen still blanks out on me while I’m reading. Is there any way I can keep the screen lit up until I finish my daily reading? It’s annoying having to turn the screen back on ever few minutes.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Review: JLab JBuddies Kids Volume Limiting Headphones

Posted on September 9, 2017

Like it or not, we now live in an era when kids love listening to loud music with headphones and Earbuds. In fact, we see them walking around and doing everything under the sun while listening to music via their iPods or smart phones.

If you’re concerned about your children damaging their hearing (and it is a real possibility), I suggest checking out JLab JBuddies Kids Volume Limiting Headphones.

These headphones were designed with kids in mind. The headband adjusts to comfortably fit little heads from age 2 and up, and the bright colors they come in (black, blue, pink or purple) will appeal to most everyone. And best of all, the sound quality is quite good. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why won’t my external hard drive work through my USB hub?

Posted on September 8, 2017

Question from Erica P.: Hi Rick! I have a question that I hope you can answer for me.

I have an older Seagate 200 GB external hard drive that has lots of wonderful family photos that I’ve scanned over the years stored on it.

The drive works fine when I plug it directly into a USB port, but it won’t work at all when I plug it into my 4-port USB hub. I really need to use the hub because my PC is under my desk and the USB ports are a pain to get to.

Do you think I need to buy a new hub? I don’t think the one I have is bad because I have my printer and webcam plugged into it, and they both work just fine. Thanks for any advice you can give me!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Equifax hack leaves almost half of all Americans subject to identity theft

Posted on September 8, 2017

As you’ve probably heard by now, credit reporting giant Equifax has been hacked in what is being described as the largest security breach in history.

According to the company, the breach may have affected up to 143 million Americans. That’s almost half of the entire U.S. population.

And when you consider that millions of our fellow citizens are children who aren’t even in Equifax’s system, you can see that the odds are quite high that you and I are among those affected. [Read more…]

Beware of fbDOWNLOADER, a free app for downloading your Facebook pics to your PC

Posted on September 8, 2017

If you ever receive an offer or recommendation to download a free Facebook app called fbDOWNLOADER, I strongly recommend that you don’t.

The “pitch” sounds so tempting: “Download all of your Facebook photos and albums directly to your PC at one time. Even download the ‘public’ pictures of your Facebook friends and other photos that you have been tagged in.”

Sound like a great app, right? The pitch sounds so good in fact that a very well-known tech expert fell for it and recommended this app on her weekly radio show and on her website. [Read more…]